When a large group of diverse business owners was asked the question, “Is every system you use at work optimized for efficiency – and if not, why do you stick with the ones you have?” the answers coalesced around three main points:

1. It
takes time and effort to make a change. 

2. There
is a marked financial and emotional investment in the sunk cost.

3. Better
the devil you know.

How we work is increasingly being shaped by technology and tools to increase productivity, yet we consistently resist the change even though, according to research firm IDC, companies lose 20 to 30 percent in revenue every year due to inefficiencies.

  • One owner talked about
    being burned by excitement followed closely by frustration.
  • One told the story of
    multiple, unused solutions that proved too complicated for her firm.
  • One talked about the
    overwhelm that accompanied looking into new options and another talked about
    the comfort zone of using a system they understood, even though it was tedious
    and frustrating.

They had all tried. And they had
all been burned.

It’s pretty discouraging.

It makes you wonder if you should
keep trying. Will pursuing another system really make a difference?

I get it. As a solo practitioner I
was discouraged and stuck using an inefficient system to produce my discovery. I
knew I needed a better solution. But I couldn’t find one that worked for me.
Eventually the inefficiency became so great that I decided I had no choice but
to pursue something new. So I started talking about creating a discovery
solution that would work for small firm and small cases. I talked about it with
other lawyers. I talked about it with people who knew about programming. I even
talked about it at cocktail parties.  

Eventually, a solution began to
develop. The seed of an idea turned into a sprout of a system that first helped
me and then grew into a solution that could help others.

It took 4 long years for that seed
to grow. I almost gave up many times along the way. I’m so glad I convinced
myself to keep innovating.  

Sometimes, it can feel like the
right solution is incredibly far away.

But what if the right solution is
just around the corner? What if you’re closer than you think? What if it’s new
on the market you just don’t know about it yet? 

Imagine what might happen if you found
something that actually worked. What if
the right solution just recently hit the market? What if it could save you 20%
to 30% (or more) in wasted expense every year from now on? 

Just a little more curiosity and
persistence. Just one more try. You
never know…

You might discover a new system
that turns out to be the miracle you’ve been waiting for—or at least the
long-awaited solution to an inefficiency you resigned yourself to just live
with.

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